PAPAYA

The papaya (/pəˈpaɪə/, US: /pəˈpɑːjə/) (from Carib via Spanish), papaw, (/pəˈpɔː/ or pawpaw
(/ˈpɔːpɔː/ is the plant Carica papaya, one of the 22 accepted species in the genus Carica of the
family Caricaceae. Its origin is in the tropics of the Americas, perhaps from southern Mexico and
neighboring Central America. The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem
growing from 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The
lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. The leaves are large, 50–70 cm (20–
28 in) in diameter, deeply palmately lobed, with seven lobes. All parts of the plant contain latex in articulated
laticifers.Papayas are dioecious. The flowers are 5-parted and highly dimorphic, the male flowers with the
stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely
connected at the base. Male and female flowers are borne in the leaf axils, the males in multiflowered
dichasia, the female flowers is few-flowered dichasia. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night and are
moth-pollinated. The fruit is a large berry about 15–45 cm (5.9–17.7 in) long and 10–30 cm (3.9–11.8 in) in
diameter.[6]:88 It is ripe when it feels soft (as soft as a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an
amber to orange hue.
 Papaya Benefits
Christopher Columbus was known to have called papaya the “fruit of the angels”. The orange colored melon-
like fruit is native to southern Mexico and Central America, but can be grown in most tropical areas. Ripe
papaya is commonly used around the world to make juice or as a delicious addition to salads, salsa, or desserts.
Papaya is also commonly used as a meat tenderizer, digestive enzyme, or to make chewing gum.(2).
Papaya contains a special digestive enzyme called papain, which is why it is most known to be a powerful
digestive aid. But improved digestion helping the body to detox isn’t the only benefits of papaya- it can also
help the body to heal wounds, to reduce inflammation, to purify the blood, and much more. Papaya, like other
types of tropical fruit, are also high in multiple vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, and antioxidants and are used
around the world to boost overall health in numerous ways. This is the reason I include papaya extract in my
multi-vitamin blend and also have it on my Healing Foods Shopping List as part of a healing diet.
Papaya Nutrition Facts
One cup of mashed papaya, or about one small papaya, contains approximately (in recommended daily values):
 100 calories
 25 grams of carbohydrate
 4 grams of fiber
 224% vitamin C
 26 % folate
 15% vitamin A
 14% magnesium
 14% potassium
 13% copper
 11% pantothenic acid
 Papaya’s biggest nutritional benefit is that it is high in vitamin C, providing 237 grams or almost 400%
of the recommended daily value of 60 grams per day. This makes it a high antioxidant food as well as a
great way to help prevent common colds or flu during the winter season. As with most orange and
yellow fruits and vegetables, it is also contains 184 mcg of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, a
precursor to vitamin A commonly found in plants.
 Beta-carotene has been shown to help prevent mouth and lung cancer. Papaya provides 144 mcg of
folate, a necessary B-vitamin for DNA formation, especially critical for pregnant women. It is also high
in other B vitamins such as B6 and pantothenic acid, both critical to help our bodies utilize calories
efficiently.
 Papaya also provides critical minerals such as potassium and magnesium, which help maintain bone
health, fluid regulation and the control of blood pressure. Magnesium also helps with stress reduction.
Papaya contains the flavonoids lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, and crytoxanthin, all antioxidants that help
fight free radical damage and may help decrease the effects of aging. Lutein and zeaxanthin are
 especially critical in helping reduce the risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of age-related
vision loss.

Top 10 Papaya Health Benefits

 Due to its nutritional content, papaya has a variety of health benefits. The high antioxidant and
flavonoid content that papaya provides is where the majority of the health benefits found in papaya.
1. Helps Aid Digestion
Compounds found in papayas help to break down and use proteins properly; specifically papain helps to break
apart the bonds between amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Papain is similar other types
of enzymes made in the pancreas that help our bodies digest meat. But, these enzymes need acid for
activation and papain can work even without the presence of acid.
Therefore, due to is ability to break apart amino acids, this digestive enzyme can be helpful for people
struggling with low stomach acid who may not be able to tolerate consuming certain types meat. It can also
help those with absorption problems better absorb protein once it has been eaten.
People with digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, or autoimmune and inflammatory
bowel diseases may benefit from adding papaya or a papain supplement to their diet. Since papain helps with
digestion, eating papaya in the morning can help reduce the symptoms of morning sickness for pregnant
women. If you are pregnant add a slice of papaya to your breakfast to help soothe your stomach all day.
Eating papaya can help tp prevent constipation due to its high fiber content and may be especially helpful if
you eat any type of processed meat or if you overindulge. Papain can be found as a supplement alone and is
found in many digestive enzyme formulations
2. Anti-inflammatory
A 2011 study in the journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research found that inflammatory markers
decreased when test subjects were given papaya. Researchers believe that papaya may help reduce
inflammation for people with inflammatory medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, although further
research is needed.
Papain has also been shown to help reduce inflammation in people with disease such as asthma or arthritis
and can help reduce inflammation in the prostate. Lower levels of bodily inflammation is often associated with
naturally slowing aging.
3. Strengthens Blood
There is much in interest in the use of papaya as a blood strengthener to help people who have a medical
condition called thrombocytopenia, or low blood platelets. This is a dangerous medical condition that can
reduce the body’s clotting ability and potentially lead to internal bleeding.
A study conducted on mice found that those given papaya leaf extract had significantly higher platelet and red
blood cell counts after 72 hours compared to those in the control group. Researchers believe that papaya
extract may eventually be a treatment for people with blood disorders.
4. Benefits Cardiovascular Health
Vitamin C has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart attacks by helping protect the arteries against
damage. It may help reduce free radical damage and the oxidation of cholesterol, reducing the ability of
cholesterol to form plaques along the artery walls.
People with diets low in vitamin C have been shown to have a greater risk of developing a heart attack or
stroke, although more research is needed to determine the exact mechanism. Folate also helps convert a
substance linked to heart attacks called homocysteine into other benign amino acids, reducing risk of a
cardiovascular event.
5. Helps Prevent Cancer
Papain, since it is able to breakdown proteins, may be able to help attack the protective coating found on
cancer cells, preventing their growth. There is significant interest in this area of cancer and diet connection
and how enzymes like papain can be used in helping treat cancer.
Vitamin C and beta-carotene, both of which are high in papaya, have been linked to a decreased risk of cancer,
especially colon cancer. Fiber can also help reduce the amount of cancer-causing toxins in the digestive system
and papaya provides almost 7 grams per serving. Because of its high antioxidant and anti parasitic properties,
papaya also makes an excellent addition to a regular detox or cleanse that can further boost immunity.
6. Prevents Macular Degeneration
The flavonoids lutein and zeaxanthin can help prevent macular degeneration, an age-related loss of vision.
Zeaxanthin specifically helps filter out blue light that can be harmful to the retina.

7. Protects Against Arthritis

A 2004 study found that people with diets low in vitamin C, and therefore low in fruits and vegetables, had a
three times greater risk of developing polyarthritis, an inflammatory condition that affects multiple joints.
Vitamin C is also protective against other types of inflammatory conditions such as gout. This powerful vitamin
has been found to lower C-reactive protein, a common marker of inflammation.
8. Prevents Asthma
Beta-carotene has been shown to help reduce the risk of asthma. Vitamin A levels are especially critical for
children to help reduce airway inflammation levels.
Papaya seeds also have their own nutritional benefit and can be eaten, although they are quite bitter. They
have been used as a folk medicine to treat parasitic infections, E.coli, and other viral and bacterial infections.
9. Anti-aging
Due to the high levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, and other flavonoids, papaya is a great fruit to help keep the
skin healthy and wrinkle-free. These nutrients work as antioxidants helping prevent free radical damage the
leading cause of aging.
10. Anti-viral
Papaya leaves have been used treat dengue fever, a deadly viral infection from mosquitos in tropical areas. In
one particular study, the leaves were mixed with water and given to patients twice a day. This treatment
showed significant decrease in viral activity after five days.
Traditional Polynesian cultures in Hawaii and Tahiti, made poultices out of papaya skin to help with wound
healing, the skin is particularly high in papain. They would apply the poultice directly to the skin to heal burns,
rashes, or bug bites. Papain can be used to treat fungal and viral infections of the skin, such as warts or
ringworm. It helps destroy the layer of protein that protects viruses and fungi against attack, helping reduce
their ability to reproduce.